Does Dutchess Care about Assisted Living?
Francesca Vasta and Andrea Suarez Navarro
Melissa Green and Jean Huber, of the Dutchess Care — Assisted Living Center, pride themselves on attending to their residents’ needs, making sure they are receiving the care they are supposed to. For over 30 years, the Dutchess Care has been a housing alternative for people who need supportive services and personal care. Upon stepping into the front doors of the assisted living center, residents appear to be at all different stages of their life. Some are as young as 25, and others are well into their eighties. Located at 186 Washington Street in Poughkeepsie, NY, Dutchess Care is home to about 90 residents from the surrounding counties.
The Groundhog was able to enter the doors of Dutchess Care and observe for themselves what this place had to offer.
Straight ahead was a long dimmed hallway, with doors on each side every couple of feet. Reminiscent of a freshman dorm room, each resident had their name decorated on their door alongside their roommates.
Walking down the corridor, a few residents were sitting in the dining area as the wait staff brought out their food and cleaned the other tables. The dining room seemed to be decorated in what appeared to be table cloth wrappers. As turkeys, fall leaves, and foliage covered the walls.
One resident, who approached The Groundhog while we were initially waiting to talk to the administrator said, “The food is shit here, all the activities are boring; I can’t wait to leave soon and move into my own place. They always have to assist me in the shower and it makes me angry, I know how to take my own damn shower. It’s not that difficult.” The resident had been living there since February and complained that “[the place] sucked,” but fortunately would be discharged soon.
Further down, was the Med room, where 4 residents were sitting around waiting, as the doctor was in that day for checkups. On one side sat Pat, a nurse, introduced to us by Green, who described her as a crucial worker to the facility, seeing as she had been working there over 30 years. As Green introduced her, the surrounding residents smiled in agreement, some even mentioning “she was the best nurse.”
Reaching the other side of the building, we came to a wide open room full of couches and a big screen TV, known as the family room, this was a place the residents could come together and socialize.
At Dutchess Care, patients are admitted based on a series of interviews and referrals. A resident requires a referral from either community case managers, doctors, rehabilitation centers or even themselves. In many instances, patients are healthy enough to leave the hospital after an accident, but they are unable to care for themselves. Internally, they are feeling okay, but sometimes it is the physical or mental instability that raises concern; which is why many adults end up in an assisted living center.
There are a series of steps that need to be taken for potential residents to live in an assisted living center, like Dutchess Care. Melissa Green, Administrator at Dutchess Care, informed The Groundhog that a pre-admission interview takes place, where a series of questions are asked to ensure that the needs of the client can be met. This is a face-to-face interview, and a lot of the paperwork is taken care of following this meeting. This pre-admission interview allows for the center itself to see if they would be a good match with the resident. Green explained how meeting with the residents provides them with the opportunity to see if their facility can meet the level of care the resident needs. The admission process can take anywhere between one to four weeks to move the new resident in. This is dependent upon the speed in which the residents’ doctors can complete the necessary paperwork.
Statistics show that in 2016, the average monthly cost of assisted living nationwide was $3,628. In particular, tuition for assisted living centers in the Northeast and West Coast of the United States came to about $4,200 — $5,000 per month. The average annual cost of assisted living in New York alone is roughly $49,000.
Despite these statistics, residents living in the Dutchess Care facility are required to pay a total of about $1,234 a month for room and board. This tuition includes amenities such as the 3 meals a day that are prepared for the residents, laundry that is washed for them, housekeeping services, and Direct TV in every room.
Because Dutchess Care is privately owned, the facility does not receive government funding or federal money. The tuition is paid for by residents’ SSI, which is a need-base social security income offered to people of low-income, who are over the age of 65, blind, or disabled.
Dutchess Care is considered to be a level 3 “congregate care facility”, therefore residents also receive a personal allowance from their social security on top of the room/board. This personal allowance is not much, but is enough for residents to invest in toiletries, or any other item they wish to buy that are not offered by the facility.
Aside from these amenities, a resident’s’ room and board also provides them with a doctor and psychiatrist once a week for regular check-ups and appointments. This opportunity is conveniently set up as most residents do not have their own forms of transportation. In the last year, the Dutchess Care — Assisted Living Center also began bringing in an eye doctor and a radiologic technician once a month.
While Dutchess Care is an assisted living facility, the residents are free to come and go as they please. Security cameras surround all areas of the property, providing surveillance and protection for the residents, however the front door is never locked. As Dutchess Care resembles more of an apartment-living environment, Green simply asks that residents inform the nurses of their whereabouts. Security cameras were installed after vandalism was seen on the property one morning, and the sign reading, “Dutchess Care Assisted Living” was destroyed. Taking serious precautions, Dutchess Care replaced the sign, as well as installed night vision security cameras to monitor the site during the evening hours.
Driving south down Washington Street, it is apparent that while some residents may catch the bus, others refrain from distancing themselves too far from the facility itself. These people often spend their days sitting at a nearby bench at Pulaski Park. Some frequent the gas station on Washington Street, the Palace Diner or Rite Aid to purchase personal products. An associate at Rite Aid commented, “The residents come in often. They’re quiet and never cause any trouble but they come in unattended. They get whatever they need, and go.”
While the facility does not provide this amenity, it seems as though some residents could benefit from an aid upon leaving the Dutchess Care property, as they do require a more watchful eye.
As administrator of the facility, Green is on call 24/7 for emergencies, spending her days attending to residents’ needs. Dealing with admissions, discharges, dietary staffing, and any implications that may arise, these are just a few of her varying responsibilities. Although Dutchess Care staff face long hours of attending to residents, Green does admit that there isn’t a large turnover rate. “We have a med-tech right now who has been here for over 30 years, and an aid who has been here for 10 plus.” Green follows this by proclaiming that the Dutchess Care and its occupants have become a family to her. “We try to make it a place that we’d feel comfortable sending our own family members,” she states.
The center also celebrates each of the residents’ birthdays and they make sure to decorate all of the common areas around the holidays. The dining room is currently displayed with a festive fall theme as the facility prepares for Thanksgiving.
Green is enthusiastic about her position at Dutchess Care and she always takes the time to reflect on her day. “After a long day, I always lay in bed and think, ‘what’s one positive thing I have done for a resident today?’ And you know what, I always think of five. It’s very rewarding.”
Owner, Azzy Reckess, also runs two other assisted living facilities like this one in the Dutchess County with his wife, Paula, and is the founder of PAZ HealthCare Management. Since 1981, these assisted living centers have been working to support low-income citizens who could benefit from additional living support. The other assisted living locations are The Avalon Assisted Living and Wellness Center in Wappinger Falls, NY and Crestview Manor Home for Adults in Hawthorne, NY. All of these facilities are equipped with registered nurses, licensed professional nurses, home health aides, and personal care aides.
As described by Paz HealthCare, assisted living is a “housing and healthcare alternative combining independence with personal care in a warm, dignified, community setting.” Jean Huber, the Assistant Living Program Nurse at Dutchess Assisted Living Center, mentioned that, “many times, family members can no longer afford to manage and take care of [the residents], so they send them here.” Green further explained that their residents are for the most part ambulatory, therefore, capable of walking. They do not need any type of hoyer lifts to get out of bed — which allows the residents to get by with the assistance of only one other person. This fact alone creates a distinct difference between assisted living and a nursing home care facility. Huber says, “A nursing home has a larger level of long term care. Residents at a nursing home know that they are not going back home.”
After our interview with Green and hearing the resident’s claim, it was evident that there were two different perspectives on the positive atmosphere that surrounds the Dutchess Care — Assisted Living Center. It is unclear if this resident’s different viewpoint is felt on a general level throughout the facility, as members of The Groundhog were unable to speak with any of the other residents.
Consequently, to further prove these differing opinions, The Groundhog attempted to contact owner Azzy Reckess, old employees at Dutchess Care, as well as the offices of PAZ Healthcare. However, after much persistence, The Groundhog reached a dead end when the gatekeepers would not allow them to get in touch with these key leads.
As The Groundhog observed the facility, it was apparent that there was a conflicting environment. Although the Dutchess Care staff were seen prominently helping residents, the building itself was a bit rundown and old. Despite the amenities and seemingly passionate staff, it is unclear how the residents truly feel. However, it is most definitely certain that the staff, like Green and Huber, have dedicated their time and are fully invested in Dutchess Care and its residents.
